Richard Mayhew is an unassuming young businessman living in London, with a dull job and a pretty but shrewish fiancée. Then one night he stumbles upon a girl lying on the sidewalk, bleeding. He stops to help her, and his life is changed forever. Soon he finds himself living in a London most people would never have dreamed of: a city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels. It is a world that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations.

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Publisher's Summary

Richard Mayhew is an unassuming young businessman living in London, with a dull job and a pretty but shrewish fiancée. Then one night he stumbles upon a girl lying on the sidewalk, bleeding. He stops to help her, and his life is changed forever.

Soon he finds himself living in a London most people would never have dreamed of: a city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels. It is a world that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. And it is the home of Door, the girl whom Richard rescued, and whom, if he is ever to return home, he must now help in her mission to preserve this strange underworld kingdom from a mysterious figure determined to destroy it.

If Tim Burton rewrote Phantom of the Opera, if Jack Finney had a dark side, if you rolled up the best of Clive Barker, Peter Straub, and Caleb Carr into one, you still wouldn't have Neil Gaiman. In Neverwhere, he delivers one of the most absorbing reads to come along in years.

What the Critics Say

"Gaiman's gift for mixing the absurd with the frightful gives this novel the feeling of a bedtime story with adult sophistication. Readers will find themselves as unable to escape this tale as the characters themselves." (Library Journal)"[Gaiman] is, simply put, a treasure house of story, and we are lucky to have him in any media." (Stephen King)

Sometimes hearing the book read aloud kills the story and sometimes it merely aids in the telling of the story. In this edition, the telling makes the story. Having the author read his own work is a potentially iffy situation. But here, Gaiman imbues his characters with such richness that you can't imagine just reading the book. I am not a huge fan of the fantasy genre and classifying this book as fantasy is not quite fair. It is a great adventure that keeps you guessing right up until the end. I highly recommend it.

I've never written a review before, but I had to for this book. I wanted it to last because I was so wrapped up in Richard's journey, but I just couldn't stop listening. I was terribly sad when the book finally ended. Enjoy!

I normally do not write reviews, but I find this book is still rummaging around in my head long after the read.
On the surface, this is a book of nightmares and fairy tales; magic and monsters. On the surface, its an entertaining tale of an epic journey through the imagination.
Deeper though, Gainman brings an unlikely troupe of characters to life. There is an undercurrent, a story within a story if you will, where friendship blossoms, souls grow and mature in situations where both the very best of humanity and the worst of depravity are on display. It’s a story of how one man faces death time and again to gain everything he thought he ever wanted – and discovers it has no meaning when it cannot be shared with those he loves. In the end, Richard finds it is not what we have but who we have that makes our lives worth living.
After several previous experiences, I admit I was somewhat apprehensive about an author reading his own work. However, Gainman does an excellent job narrating this novel and bringing the story to life.

A great story and an excellent reading by the author = well worth the time and money. Loved it. I listened to American Gods first, and while that was a very interesting listen, this is both that and an excellent story. His imagery - in both books, frankly - is easily superior to that of his contemporaries. You'll love it.

The first thing I want to say is that the performance of this book by the author elevates the story to heights that could not have been achieved by reading the text alone. Neil Gaiman is a true actor, creating a world and its inhabitants so vividly, you feel you are walking the Underside with Richard, Door and all the rest. There were a couple of spots early on when the sound effects drowned out the voices, and I was worried that these production problems would kill the enjoyment of the story. It was a temporary problem however, and overall the performance score is an enthusiastic 5.

The story is a strange one - Mr. Gaiman's fans may be prepared for this, but this was my first of his titles. It's almost like a grungy underground Wizard of Oz meets Lord of the Rings. Because it is so grungy - really, the atmosphere and characters are very dark, dirty, dangerous and cynical - I found myself wishing for at least a touch of the magic of those other two classics (is there a Good Witch in the house?). Richard was a mostly engaging hero, but did seem kind of slow to catch on that it was not only useless, but probably not smart to argue with the Underside creatures about what their world is all about. (You're not in Kansas anymore). This stole away one star (honestly, more like just half a star) from the story quality, and may not even be a problem to many other readers. I did enjoy the journey - had some of it figured out in advance, not all of it. I'm encouraged to try other titles from this author, especially if he reads his own words.

You can tell that the narrator/author has a true affinity for each of the characters he created in this luminous and dark story.....you feel each of the characters in every syllable he speaks for them. The writing is imaginative, clever, funny, suspenseful and in the end, you truly feel like you've been somewhere you never even imagined you could go....which to me, is the hallmark of a phenomenal book. Fabulous.

This was my first exposure to Gaiman, and I must say I can't remember the last book I enjoyed so much. The story is dark, highly imaginative, and thoroughly engrossing. The characters are well developed and really engaging. Furthermore, the best thing about this recording is Gaiman's own performance of his work. He has a real gift for bringing the story to life. In particular, his performances of Croup and Vandemar are excellent (and quite creepy)! A really topnotch rendition of a great book! I'm already on to my next Gaiman book.

I had read both Anansi Boys and American Gods so I was looking forward to another slightly offbeat yet thoroughly entertaining book and I was rewarded beyond my expectations. Neil Gaiman is not only a wonderful writer, but a narrator to rival the best. His voicing made his characters come alive in my heart and mind. I was left wanting to see more of the wonderful world he created and to hear more of the adventures of poor Richard who was just discovering who he was.

Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller and captivates his readers/listeners in tales that are chilling, moving, sometimes even odd but always, original. Gaiman fans have come to expect a certain style from his stories and Neverwhere does not let us down. Well-established characters, interesting side stories and is a great way to spend some time!

This work, for me, was a rare combination or a
very well written, original and highly entertaining novel read by a narrator who matched the writer in quality. Most of the fantasy writer's, today, are neither good writers nor very original and I usually end up feeling let down as I struggle through their stuff. Not so, Gaiman. Listening to this book was
pure joy.

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